Bill Tilley has paid tribute to his "mate" Brian Cox in Victorian Parliament, on the eve of the Wodonga horse trainer's funeral.
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He had been a controversial figure in the industry and was serving a three and a half year suspension for administrating an anabolic androgenic steroid to horses, but Mr Tilley also described him as "a local racing legend".
"Brian had made some mistakes at times, but I call him a mate," Mr Tilley said on Thursday.
"A week would not go by without a phone call, a chat or a coffee invite."
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He listed some of Cox's biggest achievements: winning the Albury Gold Cup three times, the Wodonga Cup a record nine times and being the leading trainer at the 2002 Melbourne Cup carnival.
"But he was also more than that - Brian was full of life, he was willing to help anyone who needed a hand and he loved the Wodonga Bulldogs and Cudgewa football netball clubs," he said.
"Brian had been sidelined in recent years, but his passion for racing was no more evident than in the picture his wife Janet took during the running of last year's Wodonga Cup.
"There's Brian at the top of a ladder, perched on the roof - no workplace safety in sight - and glued to a set of binoculars.
"Wodonga will greatly miss Brian. I will too.
"My deepest and heartfelt condolences to Janet and his daughter, Sarah."
Cox's funeral will be held on Friday at Martin Park in Wodonga from 2pm.
